As students we are given homework, tasks meant to be studied on our own time in order to memorize, master and absorb lessons that may have been missed in the classroom. Good students who make the grade will do as they are told; homework gets done before play and they ace the tests at the end of the semester. As we mature into adults and take on our respective careers, it becomes easy to lose ourselves and absorb the drama of the workplace to where we become our work.

Never Make Business Personal

One of the best lessons that an employee can teach themselves is how to adopt the gangster mentality of separating work from home. While an overworked clerk may take work home with her, she will not take work home with her. Do you get what I’m saying here? Let me explain.

There are people who make our work-lives terrible and toxic, they come in the form of loser co-workers, clients and micro-managing bosses. These people make our heart race, our blood pressure rise and our want for an escape a painful dream; but it is the consummate professional that can detox from it whenever he gets into his car to leave the job. It’s easier said than done I know, but as a master of the art I can give you a few tips to get to this point where work is simply wage-earning and networking, while everything else outside of work is the life that I live and love.

Unless it is mandatory you are not to be reached at your home number… EVER.

Get into red wines and the glass a day theory.

Make your drive home a relaxing one… right music… right mood… full detox.

Sure you would hate to be fired and you don’t want to be mediocre, but when has stressing over your annoying office-mate ever changed the situation. When it’s time to punch out in the evening, that clown is a distant memory as you think of your smiling children, your hot wife and the next episode of Boardwalk Empire that’s coming on. You can worry about that work stuff whenever you clock in tomorrow.

It is never worth it to care that much, trust me, and while it’s still relationships with people, it is a temporary relationship with people who can be out of your life in the blink of an eye (through a firing, a layoff or you quitting for greener pastures). Work is where you earn the money to pay for the home that you relax and rest your head at… so why make the former compromise the latter?

Find your comfort zone and detox in the evenings. Pour a glass of port, put on an action movie and sip it slowly as you ignore the day away. Look, I don’t ever think about my job when I’m not there – no way in hell – unless I had something that needed to be done for that particular job. No, I write, I talk to friends and I play games in the evenings and when my friends start talking shop my mind goes to a happy place where the weather is chilly and I am king.

They can stress over work, I’m stressing over life and I tell you what, that’s the way it should be. Stop taking your work home, it is never worth it.

About Greg Dragon

Greg Dragon is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief here at the Hall of The Black Dragon Magazine. You can follow Greg on Twitter @HobDragon or on his Google+ account. Greg Dragon is an independent author that writes a variety of novels. You can view his author page on GregDragon.com.

My stress from work is that I need to get the eff out of there & it aint happening fast enough!!!! lol I think alot of companies are using the economic situation to their advantage. It feel like we are in some new age slavery….Whatever but your right you should be able to turn off work once you clock out… Need to learn and master this.